ANKARA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Two Turkish ships carrying humanitarian aid arrived in Libya on Saturday after a catastrophic flood killed thousands of people in the North African country, Türkiye's Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The vessels were carrying 360 personnel from the disaster agency, health ministry, the coast guard service, search and rescue teams, and fire brigade, according to the statement.
The ships also delivered 122 vehicles, including ambulances, truck rescue and emergency response vehicles.
In addition, equipment to set up three field hospitals and various food, shelter, and sanitary materials were sent to Libya via the ships, the statement said, adding another vessel carrying aid will depart from Izmir province for Libya on Saturday.
The storm-induced floods, the largest and worst in decades, have claimed at least 5,500 lives and left another 10,000 missing in eastern Libya, Osama Ali, spokesman of the Emergency Department of Libya's Ministry of Health, told Xinhua Wednesday.
The World Health Organization estimates the disaster has affected 1.5-1.8 million people in the country. ■
